Union plans protest at Coopersville dairy plant construction site

Ryan Bennett, a business agent with West Michigan Plumbers, Pipefitters and Service Trades Local Union #174, is shown in front of the Fair Oaks Brands processing plant in this file photoFile photo | Mlive Media Group

The march on Friday, May 3, will protest the dismissal of two workers who were fired by Dahlgren Industrial, a company that is building a milk processing plant with the assistance of state and local grants, according to union leaders.

The Core Power plant is being built at the site of a former General Motors Delphi plant, next door to a milk processing facility operated by Continental Dairy, which began production last year and employs 68 workers.

Union officials have complained to the state and city, saying the contractor to install the piping, steel and concrete has overlooked the local workforce.

“Dahlgren Industrial, who is performing the piping, steel and concrete decided that local workers were too expensive, so they have been importing workers from southern states, Puerto Rico and the Philippines and paying them roughly half of the area standard wage,” according to a poster announcing the protest march.

The protest march will begin at the union’s hall at 1008 O’Malley Avenue and conclude to the construction site about a quarter of a mile away, said Ryan Bennett, a business agent with the union.

Bennett, who originally complained that Dahlgren was overlooking the local workforce, said the company fired two pipefitters who expressed an interest in forming a union. The pair has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, Bennett said.

Scott Dahlgren, president of Dahlgren Industrial, said in an email his company is not getting public money for its work. The grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. will go to Fair Oaks Brands when the project is completed, Dahlgren said.

“With respect to the construction, over 90 percent of the labor resources utilized on the project by Dahlgren are residents of Michigan,” Dahlgren said. “Dahlgren Industrial generously pays its employees more than the published labor market rates according to the data published by the State and federal government,” he said.

Dahlgren said his company does not avoid hiring unionized employees nor does it fire workers for union activities.

“A number of Dahlgren’s employees are from other states, already belong to trades unions, and currently pay union dues,” he said.

With construction expected to be completed in July, it is Dahlgren’s impression that most of its employees would not be interested in joining a local Michigan union where they are only performing temporary work.

“We have terminated employment with a number of workers for a variety of issues including: violation of safety and work rules, work performance and attendance over the course of our almost three years of work here in Michigan.”